What it is: A small color camera with a microphone that connects to your wireless network so you can use Stem's free app on your iPhone to check on your home and even record short clips.

The good: The iZon costs less than its competitors and quickly joins your network so you can keep an eye on things while you're away. More than 100 cameras can be connected to your network at $130 a pop, so you can cover every room in your home. You can remotely record snippets of audio and video to your free YouTube account for private viewing and even can remotely activate motion sensing to the cue the camera.

The bad: The camera is nearly useless in low-light settings, so keep the lights on in your room. You can't take snapshots of the room remotely. You can't zoom or pan the camera, so you have to use wide-angle viewing, which reduces the amount of detail you can see, so consider at least two cameras per room.

Cost: $130

Available from: steminnovation.com

Name: Stem Innovation's iZon iPhone-compatible room monitor

What it is: A small color camera with a microphone that connects to your wireless network so you can use Stem's free app on your iPhone to check on your home and even record short clips of audio and video.

The good: The iZon costs less than its competitors and quickly joins your network so you can keep an eye on things while you're away. More than 100 cameras can be connected to your network at $130 a pop so you can cover every room in your home. You can remotely record snippets of audio and video to your free YouTube account for private viewing and can even remotely activate motion sensing so the camera starts recording when it detects movement.

The bad: The camera is nearly useless in low-light settings, so keep the lights on in your room. You can't take snapshots of the room remotely. You can't zoom or pan the camera, so you have to use wide-angle viewing, which reduces the amount of detail you can see, so consider at least two cameras per room.